OBU Senior Earns Multiple Scholarships

September 10, 2008

In the past year, Oklahoma Baptist University senior Christi Mitchell, a telecommunication major from Blair, Okla., competed for and won five scholarships totaling $9,500.

The scholarships included $3,500 from The Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation; $2,000 from Women in Communication Oklahoma Chapter; $2,000 from the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters; $1,000 from the Baptist Communicators Association; and $1,000 for the OETA Dillehay Scholarship.

Mitchell worked hard for her earnings, beginning three years ago when, as a freshman, she took coursework seriously, said Dr. Roger Hadley, OBU's Chair of the Division of Communication Arts. Mitchell spent her spare time working on student media productions such as News30 and Bison Sports basketball games. She worked as a telecommunications lab assistant and began entering her production projects in state and national competitions.

As a sophomore and junior, Mitchell won five statewide contests in various radio and television categories. She was selected two consecutive years to intern at the annual Broadcast Education Association Convention in Las Vegas.

"OBU has been a wonderful place for me and fellow media students to develop our technical ability and our creative media talents," Mitchell said. "With technology always changing, we learn to change and adapt with it. In the media field, we always have to be on our toes to know the latest editing software programs and video equipment.

"I am extremely excited to see what the OBU Telecommunication department will look like in just 10 years from now," she said. "This is one of the most exciting majors to be a part of at OBU."

Mitchell was required to submit an application and letters of reference for each of the competitive scholarships. Hadley said each of the foundations noted not only Mitchell's academic performance, but also her hands-on production skills and her professional involvement.

"She simply out-works everyone else," Hadley said. "Christi has learned to maximize her OBU education, and it's worked out to be a wise investment for everyone."

Mitchell's latest media project can be seen at the Comanche National Museum in Lawton, Okla. The short documentary is about the Comanche Code Talkers of World War II. It will become a part of the existing museum exhibit honoring the Comanche Code Talkers.

Mitchell is the daughter of two OBU alumni, Randy and Sheryl Mitchell of Blair.